collins



80 Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1;

G. L. BOLLINSQ CONDENSER FOR COTTON GINS.

No.513,732.' PaJtent'edJan. 30,1894.

I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.'

(No Model.)

G. L. ROLLINS. GONDENSER POR GOT TON GINS.

No. 513,732.. :Pat'entedvJan. so, 1 94.

' UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE L. ROLLINS, OF BRIDGEWATER, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALFTO THE EAGLE COTTON GIN COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

CONDENSER FOR COTTON-GINS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 513,732, dated January30, 1894.

\ Application filed April 15, 1893. serial No. 470,4 69. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE L. ROLLINS, of Bridgewater, county ofPlymouth, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inCondensers for Ootton-Gins, of which the following description, inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification, likeletters and figures on the drawings representing like parts.

This invention has for its object to improve the mechanism forhandlinglint cotton,whereby the fiber is better presented for baling oruse, and whereby the short lint and flyings which are very deleteriousto health when breathed, and which are very explosive in the presence ofa spark or fire, and consequently very dangerous to life, are lessenedin the gin house.

Prior to my invention cotton fiber detached from its seeds in a cottongin has been discharged from the delivery mouth of the gin into a fluecommon to a number of gins, and the cotton from two or more gins hasbeen made to pass through the flue and under a condensing roll and madeinto a lap suitable to be delivered to a press or for baling.

In accordance with my invention, 1 take a plurality of gins, each havinga condensing attachment, and condense the fiber from each gin on a beltcommon to all the gins, the said belt receiving one condensed layer ofcotton after another, the accumulated layers being preferably compressedone on the other, and all being preferably finally compressed, beforedelivery from the apparatus to go to the press or bale.

By the use of my improvements, it is possible to get a Very compactstrong lap for delivery to the press or bale.

Figure 1 is a plan View showing several gins collected to form abattery, and all delivering their product on one belt; Fig. 2, a sectionin the line as, Fig. 1; Fig. 3, a section on the line w, Figs. 2 and 3being on a larger scale.

I have shown a series of cotton gins A, A,

. A which may be all alike or different, or of any usual size or type,the gin shown best in Fig. 2 being supposed to be one of the class usingsuitable saws s and a brush or fan I],

the lint cotton detached from the saws and drawn through the breast I),being blown into the trunks B, B, B These trunks lead respectively intocasings C, O, 0 each containing a perforated or reticulated cylindri-,cal screen or condenser D,D'or D the shafts of which are-mounted insuitable bearings of said casings.

rolls b, b, and sustaining rolls b the drums a, a, and the drum acarrying and moving a belt 01 common to the said screens or condensers,the shaft of the drum a being supposed to be located in suitablebearings 3 of uprights a located at, it may be, some distance from thelast casing and screen of the series, and being preferably protected ina trunk a which may be part of a press, the accumulated fiber in theform of a lap being delivered from said belt into said trunk or onto thefioor as may be desired.

The screens or condensers rotated by the belt may be composed of wirecloth or other suitable reticulated material 8 suitably confined toheads 7, 7, preferably made as wheels or disks having arms radiatingfrom a hub, said wheels being mounted on a shaft 10.

The casing at one end of each screen is closed by a wall, shown best inFig. 2 in section, but at'their inner ends, as herein shown, the sidewalls of the casings are omitted and the casings are put into opencommunication with dust trunks f, which lead the dust and the finefloating fiber, which is so dangerous and liable to be ignited by theleast spark and cause an explosion, out into the open air, said dusttrunks being connected if desired with any usual or suitable airexhausting means.

In my invention it will be noticed that the cotton fiber is deliveredfrom the fiber trunk of each gin onto the upper side of the revolvingscreen, and the fiber is deposited thereon, but the dust and loose fineparticles are made to pass through the holes in the periphery of thescreen, and thence out through one end of the screen into the properdust trunk. Each screen co-operates with the belt d.

In practice the fiber deposited on screen D from trunk B of gin A, is inthe rotation of I have shown each casing as having co-operating with itpreferably two like drums at, a, and suitable nipping or press thescreen deposited in a moderately thin film or layer onto belt d and iscarried by said belt under screen D receiving cotton from gin A, and thelayer of cotton from screen D' of gin A is laid on the layer furnishedby gin A. In like manner the layers of cotton laid on beltd from gins A,A, receive on them the layer of cotton from gin A In this way, one layerof cotton after another is deposited on the be1t,-one layer on anotherlayer, and each layer is condensed as it is first laid on the belt, andis again compressed while one layer is being laid on another, and thefinal lap is Well compacted, which adapts it to be used moreeconomicallyin the press and other places. The belt at may be drivenpositively in any usual or suitable manner. It will therefore beunderstood that the axis of rotation, (see Fig. 2 of the screen issubstantially parallel with the longitudinal center of the trunk Bleading the cotton from the gin into the casing and onto the screen; andalso that the axis of rotation of the screen is substantially at rightangles to the axis of rotation of the saw shaft of the gin, and that thebelt cooperates with two or more. screens and hence passes entirelythrough the casings under the screens. By putting the axes of rotationof the screens at right angles to the axes of rotation of the gin shaft,it makes it possible for several screens to co-operate with one belt andthus enable the bats coming from several gins to be superimposed. Myinvention is not for feeding cotton gins, and I disclaim a belt to feeda cotton gin.

Iarn also aware that cotton has been applied to the rear side of ascreen, has been carried over said screen, and detached at the otherside of the screen, and deposited on a belt, the end of which meetssubstan tially the screen, but prior to this invention I am not awarethat a belt to receive cotton from a screen has ever been passeddirectly under the screen from side to side of the casing containing thescreen, so that said screen has been able to by contact with the beltgive up its cotton.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is-

1. A plurality of cotton gins, a plurality of casings having each arotating screen or reticulated cylinder, combined with a beltcooperating with two or more screens and receiving one layer of fiberafter another, one layer on top of another, each layer being condensed,and the combined layers being compressed one or more times before itsdelivery from said belt, substantially as described.

2. A plurality of cylindrical reticulated screens; surrounding casingsfor each screen; and a belt or apron arranged to travel through saidcasings from side to side and under said screens; combined with aplurality of cotton gins, and connecting flues arranged between saidgins and said casings to conduct fiber into said casings and onto saidscreens, the screens delivering the cotton deposited upon them upon saidbelt, substantially as described.

3. A plurality of cylindrical reticulated screens; surrounding casingsfor each screen; and a belt or apron arranged to travel through saidcasings from side to side and under said screens; combined with aplurality of cotton gins and connecting fiues arranged between said ginsand said casings to conduct fiber into said casings and onto saidscreens, the

screens delivering the cotton deposited upon them upon said belt, andwitha dust trunk to lead dust and light floating particles of cottonaway from said casings, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

GEORGE L. ROLLINS.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. GREGORY, EMMA J. BENNETT.

